Commentary on Egerton‐Warburton et al. (2018): Alcohol‐related injury in the emergency...
Cherpitel, Cheryl J.
2018-01-01 00:00:00
Not all alcohol‐related presentations to the emergency department (ED) are 100% attributable to alcohol. The alcohol‐attributable fraction (AAF) of injury depends upon the risk of injury from drinking, and must be taken into account in determining the burden to the ED of alcohol‐related harm.The paper by Egerton‐Warburton et al. reports prevalence data from eight emergency departments (EDs) in Australia and New Zealand on the proportion of patients who were considered to be ‘alcohol‐positive’ at the time of the ED visit, using the classifications of alcohol intoxication, medical conditions, injuries and injuries caused by an alcohol‐affected third party. Nearly one in 10 ED presentations were found to be alcohol‐related . While it is reasonable to assume that alcohol intoxication and medical conditions which resulted from the harmful use of alcohol (e.g. alcoholic gastritis, alcoholic liver disease) are related entirely to alcohol with respect to alcohol‐related injuries, not all are necessarily attributable to alcohol, and the alcohol‐attributable fraction (AAF) of these injuries, or the proportion of injuries which would be eliminated in the absence of alcohol, depends upon the risk at which alcohol places the individual for injury, as well as the proportion of the population who are at risk.One of
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Abstract

Not all alcohol‐related presentations to the emergency department (ED) are 100% attributable to alcohol. The alcohol‐attributable fraction (AAF) of injury depends upon the risk of injury from drinking, and must be taken into account in determining the burden to the ED of alcohol‐related harm.The paper by Egerton‐Warburton et al. reports prevalence data from eight emergency departments (EDs) in Australia and New Zealand on the proportion of patients who were considered to be ‘alcohol‐positive’ at the time of the ED visit, using the classifications of alcohol intoxication, medical conditions, injuries and injuries caused by an alcohol‐affected third party. Nearly one in 10 ED presentations were found to be alcohol‐related . While it is reasonable to assume that alcohol intoxication and medical conditions which resulted from the harmful use of alcohol (e.g. alcoholic gastritis, alcoholic liver disease) are related entirely to alcohol with respect to alcohol‐related injuries, not all are necessarily attributable to alcohol, and the alcohol‐attributable fraction (AAF) of these injuries, or the proportion of injuries which would be eliminated in the absence of alcohol, depends upon the risk at which alcohol places the individual for injury, as well as the proportion of the population who are at risk.One of